Tropical Storm Bertha weakens after high winds and flooding in Louisiana, Texas: Here's what we know

Parts of southern Louisiana and Texas saw heavy surf and flooding after Tropical Storm Bertha made a second landfall along the Gulf Coast on Thursday (local time), hours before weakening into a tropical depression.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said parts of the upper Texas coast could see tropical storm-force wind gusts through Thursday evening, while elevated water levels from the storm surge are likely to persist, the AP reported.

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Here’s what we know about Tropical Storm Bertha

Forecasters predict that Bertha will produce at least one to three inches (2.5 to 7.6 centimeters) of rainfall, with isolated totals of up to four inches (10.1 centimeters), which could cause flash flooding along the coast and in south Texas. Further weakening was expected overnight, with the storm expected to dissipate by Friday (local time).

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Bertha made its first pass over southern Louisiana on Wednesday as it moved slowly to the west. The storm later weakened as it made landfall on Thursday afternoon about 115 kilometers northeast of Galveston, Texas. It maintained tropical storm status for several hours before being downgraded to a tropical depression, with maximum sustained winds falling to 38 mph (61 km/h) or less.

Since forming over the Gulf of Mexico south of the Florida Panhandle on Monday, Bertha has not been associated with any deaths or major damage. But the storm caused coastal flooding when its center first made landfall in Louisiana, southwest of New Orleans, on Wednesday, while most of its heavy rainfall remained over the Gulf.

The National Hurricane Center noted that on Thursday, heavy rainfall located south of the center of Bertha had begun to spread inland across southeast Texas, adding that tropical storm-force winds had spread up to 140 miles (225 kilometers) from the storm’s center.

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A tropical storm warning was discontinued later this evening from Sargent, Texas to the Vermilion and Cameron Parish line in Louisiana.

Thick clouds associated with Tropical Storm Bertha also prompted billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX to cancel a planned launch of the starship Thursday night from the southernmost point of Texas. The test flight has been rescheduled for Friday, when forecasters predict clear skies.

Galveston braces for stormy weather, Florida sees minor damage

As officials predicted a “windy day,” Galveston businesses remained open. Local officials further urged the island city’s roughly 53,000 residents to prepare for a “windy day” and secure any outdoor items that could become airborne projectiles.

In a Facebook post, Galveston’s Office of Emergency Management said, “While no significant impacts are expected, some gusty winds may blow through the island during the day.”

Meanwhile, the Galveston Historic Seaport canceled its sightseeing boat tours as a precaution, but was otherwise operating normally.

However, Bertha caused minor damage in parts of Florida, where it left a damaged boardwalk and toppled a Waffle House sign. In Pensacola, authorities closed off the area around the beach boardwalk after it was damaged by the storm, D.C. Mayor Reeves said on Facebook Thursday. He also shared a photo showing part of the sidewalk’s support structure torn off, along with damage to a nearby fence.

Power outages along the Gulf Coast remained minimal, according to powerutage.us.

Bertha is the second named tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, following Tropical Storm Arthur, which brought heavy rainfall to parts of the southeastern United States in June.

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Meanwhile, in the eastern Pacific, Hurricane Fausto continued to move over open waters on Thursday. The storm was located more than 1,600 kilometers west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h).